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E36 (1991 - 1999) The E36 chassis 3-Series BMW was a huge hit among driving enthusiasts from the first moment the car hit the pavement. The E36 won numerous awards over the years it was produced and is still a favorite of many BMW enthusiasts to this day! -- View the E36 Wiki

My question is how well those seats (or any other aftermarket seat for that matter) would hold up during a rear-end collision. I assume these have not been tested, and I wonder what kind of testing some of the bigger companies (Sparco, Recaro, etc.) perform.

My question is how well those seats (or any other aftermarket seat for that matter) would hold up during a rear-end collision. I assume these have not been tested, and I wonder what kind of testing some of the bigger companies (Sparco, Recaro, etc.) perform.

I bet most aftermarket reclining seats would break or bend. Luckily if mine did, they would fall against the harness bar and not move.

Updating with a long term review of ebay control arms. I got em for 100ish shipped. Fit was OEM, though I'd recommend control arm bushings at the same time. Been about 8k miles now, and I have no complaints. Granted the car is no longer on DD duties, but when it gets driven, usually its hard. So it makes up for it. Link is here, same seller and all.

If I was in the same situation financially as I was when I bought them, I would buy again. I only say that because I know there are better out there, and now with some real income I'm not afraid to spend money on this stuff. Overall though, these are not bad by any stretch

+1 for fog lights being good. I've had OEM, DDM, and eBay fog lights. Pretty much no detectable difference in quality between any of them.

I concur. Purchased a set from ebay seller "imotorsport" on Monday. Arrived today and are very nice. Snapped into place perfectly and look and work great. Came with H1 bulbs for $32.99 and free shipping. The lenses are not glass like OEM but appear pretty robust. We will see how they hold up but for that price and the speed of shipping I see nothing to complain about.

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“In the olden days I always got the impression that TVR built a car, put it on sale, and then found out how it handled – usually when one of their customers wrote to the factory complaining about how dead he was.” -Jeremy Clarkson

I don't think they are glass. Seemed like more of a hard acrylic type plastic to me. I don't quite know how to tell for sure without smacking with them with something...which might defeat the whole purpose in buying them in the first place.

My OEM DS light was cracked to the point a chunk was about to fall out so it was time.

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“In the olden days I always got the impression that TVR built a car, put it on sale, and then found out how it handled – usually when one of their customers wrote to the factory complaining about how dead he was.” -Jeremy Clarkson

I always get confused when you guys do this. Ebay is not a brand, yet you use it like it is a brand. Hell, it's not even a seller. You might as well say you got "flea market radiator". There's no consistency in any of those products, unless you supply a seller's name. Even then, they may change their source and poof goes your consistency.

I think the "brand name" ebay is just used to represent the cheapest version of a product on ebay. They're usually all made in the same place, even if it's under different seller names, titles, etc. Sure it can change, but most of the time it stays the same.

I always get confused when you guys do this. Ebay is not a brand, yet you use it like it is a brand. Hell, it's not even a seller. You might as well say you got "flea market radiator". There's no consistency in any of those products, unless you supply a seller's name. Even then, they may change their source and poof goes your consistency.

/rant

Few things about your rant...
-notice how the op says link the item if possible. That pretty much says it all about the item
-a lot of things on eBay (intake pipes, CAI, etc.) are generically made and I'm pretty sure they all come out of the same 2 factories.
-searching purposes. All I had to do to find this thread was search 'eBay parts'. N00bz has no excuse

It's surely not foolproof, but it's nice to have input from people who use the cheaper parts

For wheel hubs, I'd get the real deal from either F.A.G. or SKF. The no-name stuff often has issues with rear dust cap fitment and don't have the ridge which helps during removal. Watch this video to see what I mean:

For wheel hubs, I'd get the real deal from either F.A.G. or SKF. The no-name stuff often has issues with rear dust cap fitment and don't have the ridge which helps during removal. Watch this video to see what I mean:

thanks alot
i didn't knw i needed these other dust caps and nuts

i think i'll do mo research before I buy that ebay stuff or Timken from Autozone

I knw that Timken was made by F.A.G. but not sure if its still made by them

I've bought heaps of stuff from eBay, and have been mostly happy with what I've got. Sometimes the product instructions are a bit dodgy, but in general if you do a bit of reseach you will get a good product. I've also found that you can buy so much more stuff than going to your local car parts place. Especially in Australia where BMW is a "luxury" marque and you will pay through the nose. Example: oil filter from Repco - $35, from eBay: $6. Difference? None. I also run my own eBay store and import parts from China to sell here in Oz. I've found the people I'm dealing with very honest and helpful, but they are also happy to sell knock offs that are clearly copies. I've steered away from those, but I'm sure some eBay store owners would just sell them. Moral of the story? Do your research and I'm sure (like me) you'll get a great selection and value for money off eBay.